The anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, officially known as Patriot Day, is a day to remember the almost 3,000 innocent victims who lost their lives to attacks by terrorists on the Twin Towers in New York City, on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and on Flight 93, which the terrorists wanted to crash into the U.S. Capitol building until their plot was foiled by regular Americans who were passengers on that jet. With the now famous words, “let’s roll,” a group of the passengers wrested control of the aircraft from the attackers and crashed it into a field in Pennsylvania, saving our seat of government from harm.

In addition to the victims, another thing most of us remember from that day 16 years ago is how the first responders ran into burning buildings because they knew the people inside needed their help. Many of them are among those we now commemorate on Patriot Day for making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Those first responders, from the police and fire departments in New York City and Washington, D.C., set a standard of selflessness because of the extreme situation they were in that grew out of an attack on the U.S. But first responders across the country uphold that standard every time there is a tragedy and they rush in to protect and care for others, many times disregarding their own safety.

We saw it after Hurricane Rita, we saw it after Hurricane Ike. We saw it again in the aftermath of the flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Police officers and firefighters along with key personnel from all the local cities were in the water helping others while the rain was still falling. Many of them were working while their own homes were being affected by the flooding.

The names of the victims of the 9/11 attack slowly fade from our memories until they are resurrected during Patriot Day ceremonies around the nation. But the heroic actions of our first responders during times of tragedy serve as a constant reminder that they run in when everyone else is running out. That’s the true spirit of patriotism that we remember every Sept. 11.